The Enemy of My Enemy
by VilyaSage
Summary: At long last, Genis escapes if one can call it that the Desians, and is reunited with old friends. In the midst of all the happiness, can he really ask them, as he plans, to make such a great sacrifice? Can they really forgive? COMPLETE
1. Imprisoned Magic

* * *

The Enemy of My Enemy

By: Vilya

Disclaimer: Hmm…well, Heather, Jason and Steven do belong to me. And I'm keeping them! The incident in which Lloyd and the Giant Beetle collided head-on in midair also belongs to me, as it is a once-in-a-gaming experience. The rest, that does not belong to me. If only it did…

Now, you guys get a bit of a summary here, to explain things, but that's it! This takes place after the destruction of the Palmacosta Human Ranch but before Thoda Geyser. Lloyd, Genis and glares Kratos are going to run into a bit of trouble…and it takes off from there!

Chapter One: Imprisoned Magic

"Fire Ball!"

"Sonic Thrust!"

"Sword Rain!"

Genis Sage, Kratos Aurion, and Lloyd Irving grinned at one another as the giant Grasshopper before them dissolved into 'monster remains.' When Kratos and Lloyd each appeared to make the finishing strike, as they had just done, they often argued about it afterward, but this time they simply began walking again. Genis, with a long sigh, followed at a quick pace behind them.

They were a few miles outside of Palmacosta, the large port city where, it seemed, so much had just happened to them, and the Chosen, Colette Brunel, and Genis' sister Raine, were still in Palmacosta, the former probably still asleep and the latter most likely out delving into the history of the city, or listening in on a lecture in the school.

And the three of them were out here, heading for the nearest House of Salvation to ask for their Spiritua Statue. Thinking about this made Genis sigh again—what self-respecting House of Salvation would give up its most prized possession?

"Why are they all _bugs_?" Lloyd complained, and ducked as Kratos swatted at him. "I mean, really, for monsters they aren't very creative."

"It was that head-on collision with the Giant Beetle," Genis said quietly to Kratos, who chuckled. Lloyd shot a glare at Genis, who only grinned innocently. Lloyd shook his head and went back to scanning their right side for any more enemies, with Kratos doing the same on their left.

Genis walked in the middle and slightly behind, swinging the free end of his Fine Nova kendama in small circles. As the youngest, he was rather easily ignored, except when Raine wanted to smack him, but he'd learned to profit from it, if not necessarily with gald.

They were coming very close, he noticed, to the site of the old Palmacosta Human Ranch…and that meant they were going the wrong way. By this time, Lloyd and Kratos were several yards ahead of Genis, and he ran to catch up.

"Hey! Kratos! Lloyd, listen! We're going the wrong _uf_!" Something slammed into his stomach, throwing him backward onto the ground. Kratos and Lloyd spun around, and saw what could only be a Desian standing over the prone form of Genis. Coming out behind him were three more.

"Let's take 'em," Lloyd muttered darkly, drawing both of his swords and beginning to run. The Desian watching Genis spun, raising the spiked staff he was using as a weapon.

"Magic user," Kratos said quietly, and Lloyd nodded. If he could strike the half-elf while he was spellcasting, the concentration—and thus, the spell—would be broken. Lloyd braced himself to run; Kratos drew his own sword and ran ahead.

"Demon Fang!" he cried, and a shockwave swept from his blade, knocking the Desian back several feet. Lloyd charged along behind him, his attention focusing as the ground around the Desian began to pulse with color.

_A spell!_ Lloyd went into a spin, both swords slashing at weak points in the Desian's armor. The glowing stopped, and the half-elf stumbled back under Lloyd's relentless barrage.

Kratos, deciding Lloyd could handle himself, knelt beside Genis, who was sitting and shaking his head to clear it. "Sorry," he offered, accepting Kratos' hand up. The mercenary nodded his acknowledgement. Nodding back, Genis looked at the Exsphere on his hand, feeling himself flowing with magic, and began to call a spell of his own.

"Pancake time!" he said, turning to the three other approaching Desians. "Stalagmite!" Sharp stones rose from the ground, tossing the Desians around like cloth dolls, dropping them hard to the ground as the magic dissipated. One of them groaned and didn't rise again, but the other two pressed Kratos, and Genis backed up several feet, beginning to draw on another spell.

"Tempest!" Lloyd cried, and his Desian also fell and lay motionless. Grinning in pleasure, he turned to aid Kratos, glancing back for a moment at Genis, deep in the middle of calling one of his spells.

Swords clashed against other swords and armor, and occasionally Kratos' shield, and Genis listened to this for what felt like forever before his magic burst from him.

"Lightning!" The bolts rained down, slamming into the two Desians, and another dropped. Kratos and Lloyd struck together and took down the final one.

"That's how it _should_ be done," Lloyd said with satisfaction, slashing his swords through the air. Distracted as he was, he didn't even see the Fire Ball spell coming, and it threw him into a nearby tree. Slowly, he slid to the ground, and didn't move to get up again.

Genis whirled around to see another Desian, another magic user. Kratos moved to join him, but Genis shook his head.

"This will be easy! You take Lloyd back to Palmacosta, I'll meet you there!"

"It's too dangerous, Genis!"

"I'll be fine! I've got a few Apple Gels, and one Desian is no match for me. Get going, Kratos!"

Reluctantly, with several glances back, Kratos slid one arm under Lloyd's and began to sprint for Palmacosta. Genis nodded, satisfied, and turned back to the Desian, who was already spellcasting.

"Force Field!" Genis called as the fiery rain descended upon him. The globe that encircled him blocked the spell, and he retaliated with one of his own.

"Aqua Slash!" He watched the pulses of water head toward the Desian, but he never saw them hit. Some other sort of wave slammed into him, knocking the air from his lungs, and sending him backwards. He felt gravity act on him in a way it shouldn't have, and he was rolling, colliding with rocks and tree roots and…

He'd gone over the edge of some kind of cliff. That was his last thought before the treetops he was staring at darkened around him, and thought was no longer necessary.

* * *

Voices. There were voices around him, and another sound as well…machinery? It sounded like the magitechnology that Raine always talked about, that he'd heard a few times, even, usually in the Desian Ranches. But closer to him, louder, were the voices.

And he _hurt_. His head, his ribs, his shoulders…everything.

Where in the world was he? He must be at the Seaman's Haven, in Palmacosta…

_Palmacosta…Lloyd! Kratos! …I'm sorry…_

And the darkness claimed him again.

* * *

The voices were back, but this time he had enough energy in him to open his eyes and face them. Genis did so, and was greeted by three surprised faces, two male and one female. The people stepped back, surprised, but then one of them came forward again.

"Hello," he said, smiling kindly. "Do you know where you are?"

"N…no…" Genis whispered; he found it difficult to do much else. He moved to sit up, but strong hands held him down, and the man above him shook his head.

"You've been soundly beaten, child," he said, smiling again. Genis noticed, with a gasp and then a cry at the pain gasping brought him, that the man, and the other man and woman, wore the plain, ragged brown clothes of prisoners at a Human Ranch.

_No!_ Genis' mind screamed. _I can't be caught! I can't be a prisoner!_ But he managed to look down at himself, and when he saw those same worn, nondescript brown garments adorning him, he closed his eyes and tried to wake himself up.

"Let me…up," he said to the man, but his reply was only to shake his head.

"No. You need to rest, boy, while you've got the chance. They seem to have a very strong interest in you. Who are you?"

"My name…is Genis. Genis…Sage."

"It's one of the group that travels with the Chosen!" the woman exclaimed. "No wonder they're so obsessed with him. How in the world did you end up here?" She directed this last question at Genis. With a sigh, he pushed himself up so he was sitting, ignoring how much it hurt, and slowly, haltingly, pausing for breath every few words, he told them the story of battling the Desians.

"I just hope…Lloyd and…Kratos got away…" he finished, shaking his head, which made the throbbing in it worse. The woman handed him a metal cup half-full of water, and he drank it eagerly, not having realized he was thirsty until now.

"So…so where am I?" Genis asked.

"You are in the human ranch that is near the village of Iselia," said the smaller man with the tiniest hint of a grin. "Apparently another of your group did some damage here not too long ago. The leader of those Desians is still seething mad over it."

_Iselia!_ Genis thought, shocked and saddened. He'd been banished from Iselia, right along with Lloyd, and he knew that Lloyd would probably never return. And now, of course, his sister and the rest of them had no way to find out where he was. He would be stuck here for a very long time, and that thought alone made him want to just give up. But his next turned any hope he might have had into dust.

_Just…like…Marble._

He handed the woman her cup and didn't even protest as he was made to lie down again. Sleep felt like a wonderful idea, and he entered it within seconds.

* * *

Genis woke again, mostly because of the noise, the one he could now confirm was caused by magitechnology. It got louder. Genis started awake, and saw the three humans standing in front of him, blocking his view out of the cell. He sat up quickly, ignoring the pain in his ribs and back, and went to stand with them, next to the woman, who looked down at him with a flash of a smile before making her face sad and forlorn again.

There were people entering the room—people in heavy armor, a few carrying spears, two others with mages' staves, and the one in front with a whip. The one with the whip cracked it in the air and laughed coldly.

_Desians!_

Genis began to panic, somewhere in the back of his mind. He stood out very much here, with his shorter stature and silver hair. He was an elf, after all. A mage elf, too, which would surely single him out even—

_I'm so stupid!_ Genis thought, and nearly said it aloud, but the Desians were drawing much closer and he didn't need to attract any more attention than he already would. He tried to make himself look as normal as possible when the Desians passed by, but it still seemed like they looked at him for much longer than they did anyone else.

"Cells three, six and seven, outside!" the whip-carrying Desian yelled. The cells with those numbers opened and the humans in them filed out, looking hopeless and broken. The Desians walked out behind them, leaving the occupants of the other cells to themselves.

"I can break out with my magic!" Genis told his cellmates excitedly. "I can…dig a tunnel, or something, and…we'll all get out, and…why are you all looking at me so sadly?"

"We are all magic users," said the taller man quietly. "Each of us also has some elf in us, which enables use of magic better than it would in ordinary humans." The man lifted his left arm, the one without the Exsphere. Circling his wrist was a metal ring that made a slight humming noise if Genis listened hard enough.

"This ranch has the capability of using magitechnology to disable our mages' powers," the woman said, pointing to the bracelet that Genis also wore. "The only one of us who's been able to bypass it is Steven."

"Steven?" Genis asked, and the smaller man grinned and pulled a roll of bread from behind his back, offering it to Genis. "Oh, no, I couldn't take your food, it's all you get…"

"It's all you get now, too," said the woman. "You're stuck here with us. You have said you are Genis. I am Heather, and these are Steven and Jason." Reluctantly, Genis took the roll and ate it, remembering only at that moment that he was hungry.

That made him think of Colette, who was seldom hungry anymore. It seemed like she never ate. Lloyd had even said that some of the things she did eat, she'd hated all her life. Genis had decided, after a few minutes of thought, that such actions naturally happened to the Chosen.

Sighing, Genis sat down on what must have passed for his bed for the past few days. It wasn't really more than a few folded blankets and clothes…Genis felt his stomach sink, realizing that this was to be his _life_ from now on. He wondered what the humans did once outside. He'd seen them pushing blocks around before, but that had just been for the sadistic enjoyment of the Desians. It hadn't served any purpose.

"Are you still hurt?" asked Heather, and Genis shook his head.

"No. Once I got up, I was just stiff. I'm sorry if I took someone's bed for the past few days. You didn't have to do that for me."

"If we didn't," Jason said, "we'd be at the same level as the Desians. And we'll never fall to that level. I won't treat a fellow living being like they do."

"Why do the Desians act this way?" Genis wondered aloud. Heather sat down beside him, staring at the opposite wall just as he was doing.

"Well, half-elves are persecuted," she began, but Genis cut her off.

"They treat humans, and us, like cattle!"

"But did that come before the persecution, or after?"

"…You sound like my sister Raine…" At the thought of Raine, tears threatened Genis. He'd managed to avoid thinking of her thus far, but now he couldn't stop. She was his sister, his only family, and she was probably ready to kill him for getting himself captured. Come to think of it, Kratos was probably already dead for leaving him there.

"Raine? Wait, do you mean Raine Sage?" Heather asked, her eyes glowing with excitement. Genis nodded sullenly, then looked up at her with curiosity on his face. "I used to teach at the school in Palmacosta," she explained. "We've all heard of Raine."

"Oh. And I guess you guys all know Colette and Lloyd too, huh? None of you are from Iselia, though. I don't remember you, anyway."

"I used to live in Iselia," said Jason. "I moved with my family to Triet about five years ago. I've been here about a year now, and both of these two were here before I was."

_A year_, Genis thought, feeling more lost than ever. Even if Raine and the others did manage to find him, how would they get him out? And how could he leave, knowing these other people were still suffering?

Time seemed to drag on for the rest of that day, though Genis wasn't even certain of when the sun rose or set. It felt like about twelve hours, but there was no way he could tell. After a while, he started to feel tired, so he walked over and sat in the empty corner, leaning his head into the space where the two walls met and closing his eyes.

Eventually he fell asleep.

* * *

It was very dark when he woke again. Or, at least he thought he was awake. But he wasn't in the cell anymore…he wasn't leaning against a wall, either. He was standing, back in his old clothes again, with his kendama at his side. And there—were those city lights, off to his left? Was he…outside of Palmacosta? The whole event had been some sort of horrible dream?

He took a step in the direction of the lights, and then began running to them. But they never seemed to get any closer. If anything, he thought, they were farther away. He began to despair of ever reaching them.

Then, suddenly, he was in the midst of them, and found that they were not city lights, but people, dozens of people. They floated a few feet off the ground, eyes closed, hands clasped together near their hearts. And from under each person's hands there came a blinding light.

Genis walked among them for what felt like hours. He recognized some of them, his old classmates, other people of Iselia, and the people of Triet. Some of those he had freed from the Palmacosta ranch. He gasped when he saw Marble, and her daughter Cacao and granddaughter Chocolat.

Walking farther still, he came to three faces he did not know, but felt he should. A young girl in white boots. A tall man with odd-colored hair, hands shackled. Another man, with a necklace like Colette's.

And then he reached familiar faces, more familiar even than Marble's. Heather, calm and serene, in the clothes she must have worn as a teacher. Jason, dressed in the strange, ornate robes of someone who worked for the Church of Martel. And Steven, garbed in the black of a thief. And there was that clumsy assassin who had attacked them on the Ossa Trail.

His friends, and his family, were right in the center of all the light. There was his sister Raine, a bit higher than those around her, but a bit lower than some of the others he'd seen. There was Colette, shining like the angel she was, her wings extended behind her. And next to her, Lloyd, whose light threatened to blind him.

He turned, expecting to find Kratos, but no one was there. There was a good-sized empty space, and he assumed Kratos might fit there, with one other person. That did not explain the absence of the aloof mercenary, but it did give him a place. And, Genis realized, he had his own place as well, right there in the center, between Lloyd and Kratos' void.

Stepping into his place, he closed his eyes and brought his hands together by his heart, envisioning himself floating like they were, with a beautiful light shining inside him. But his feet remained firmly on the ground.

_'You seek the result without the process,'_ said a silent voice. Genis opened his eyes and met the calm gaze of a woman with wings, though not an angel's wings like Colette, and not the feathery variety of Remiel, either. Well, perhaps they were feathery…but they were _golden_.

"Well, I didn't know there was a process," Genis explained, wondering who this strange woman was.

_'It requires strength, courage, and faith, Genis Sage,'_ she replied.

"I…well, I'm pretty strong, but I know I'm still learning. And I've got courage…and I believe in the World Regeneration…is that enough?"

_'I was speaking of faith in yourself, Genis. Faith that you can shine that light and truly blind any who see you. I see it even now, and it certainly attempts to blind me,'_ She added with a smile.

"I do believe in myself! Why else would I have told Kratos to take Lloyd? I knew I could beat that Desian!"

_'But in your defeat, was your belief in your own strength shaken?'_

"Well…well maybe…but…"

_'Then you cannot join them. You believe your situation hopeless, and yourself helpless to do anything. You are an intelligent person, Genis Sage. Use the talents given you.'_

"But…but I can't access my mage's power! And my weapon is gone…and I can't take on a whole human ranch all by myself!"

The woman laughed, a sound like wind chimes, and then smiled at Genis.

_'Surely you have more than that, Genis. Use it, and use it well. Perhaps you can learn again to believe in yourself. Perhaps your light will shine as bright to you as it does to me. Good night, Genis.'_

"Good…night?" But the lights were already moving away from him, until he was back where he had begun. And then it all went dark.

* * *

"Come on, Genis, get up!" Genis' eyes opened to find himself back in the cell again, and Heather was shaking him awake. "Our cell is working outside today."

"By itself?" Genis asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Steven, just behind Heather, nodded briskly. Genis stood, yawning, and noticed the cell door open. He almost bolted for it, but he remembered his dream. Now was not the time to try and run.

The four of them were led outside by ten Desians, all carrying a whip as well as some other weapon, mostly swords. As they passed a particular hallway, Genis noticed a soldier impressing some others with…with his kendama! Genis' shoulders sagged. They really did have his weapon. And they were playing with it like it was some kind of toy.

Upon getting outside, Genis and the others were instructed to clear away several large piles of metal and wood—garbage. Debris. Someone had either attacked recently or made a _very_ large mistake, Genis surmised.

Sighing, he bent over to lift a bit off the first pile and felt a sting across his back. One of the Desians had whipped him! He looked over his shoulder, glaring at the man, and received another lash for his impudence.

"Move faster!" the Desian barked, and Genis complied, picking up his pace until he got out of Desian view. Then he dropped his load and began to search through it. He found what he was looking for—two long, slender, pointed pieces of metal—and searched for a place to hide them. Finally, he threaded them through the stitching around one of the patches on his shirt, and went back to work.

The whip struck him several more times that day, and had he been able to reach his magic he would gladly have toasted every Desian where they stood, but he had to set his shoulders and bear it. He had a plan now, and just knowing that was enough to keep him from biting back at the Desians.

The long day was over, and he lined up behind Jason and in front of Steven to be escorted back to his cell. One of the Desians was carrying some sort of small device, and as Genis passed him he was stopped, the pieces of metal pulled from his clothing. A metal-gloved hand struck his face, and he stumbled, and would have fallen if Steven hadn't caught his shoulders.

"This one is not to be let out again," said a Desian from behind him, and Genis was roughly shoved into walking again, looking down at his feet now. He couldn't bring himself to look at the others. His plan had failed.

He sat in his corner of the cell again, unable to do anything but stare at the ground, humiliated. He vaguely heard someone speaking to him, but he couldn't bring himself to answer. They would catch him if he ever had another plan, not that he'd be able to do anything now, confined to the cell as he was. He wouldn't ask any of the others to try, either—he wouldn't risk that something worse might happen to them.

His sleep that night was full of terrible dreams, of monsters or Desians or things he couldn't put a name to destroying all of his friends, ending the Journey of Regeneration, leaving the world in decline and at the mercy of the Desians.

* * *

* * *

Look! The Four Seraph-guys...were killed by quick-edit! Anyway…reviews will get you everywhere. Tell me what you thought!


	2. Yes

The Enemy of My Enemy

Thanks for all the reviews!!

Chapter Two: Yes

The next week passed very slowly for Genis. His only record of day and night came when various cells were called out to work, or when he simply bored himself to exhaustion. Once he caught his reflection in the bottom of a metal bowl, and the left side of his face was swollen like a kirima fruit. He didn't feel like doing anything, not after his humiliation at attempting to escape.

Occasionally Heather or Jason would attempt to speak to him—Steven never spoke at all—but he ignored them. He didn't want to get to know these people who were going to die here, imprisoned by Desians. He didn't want to think about how the same thing might happen to him.

Except, of course, that he couldn't get the thought out of his mind. With each day, his hope grew smaller. He kept thinking, kept wishing, that Raine, Lloyd, Kratos and Colette would burst in through the doors one day, Desians falling before them as they rescued all the imprisoned humans.

But there was no way Lloyd would come back here. He couldn't enter Iselia, and he didn't want to set foot on the ranch that had caused him so much trouble. Colette wouldn't return, either—she was set on saving the world. Raine would be so furious to find their house destroyed, she'd probably want to leave him behind. And Kratos…Genis sighed. He couldn't come up with a reason for Kratos, but that didn't matter. Three out of four was more than enough.

Waking from another dream filled with destruction, Genis found himself being shaken roughly, and pulled to his feet. By Desians, he realized as the sleep cleared from his eyes. They half-dragged him from the cell, and he could only cast one fleeting glance over his shoulder, where Heather, Jason and Steven watched him leave, and then the door closed. He sighed and focused his gaze on the floor.

They passed through several more doors, through hallways that buzzed with the now-familiar sound of magitechnology, and through a final door into a dimly lit room, where Genis was thrown roughly into some sort of metal chair. The Desians, laughing hysterically, turned and left through the small room's single door, which clicked as it slid shut.

_Locked_, Genis thought angrily. _I'm locked in a room somewhere and whatever's about to happen to me can't be anything good_.

"So hopeless, Genis?" asked a voice. Genis' eyes widened, and he looked around for the owner of the voice, but no one was in the room with him. "And now so frightened. Dear boy, we've no intention of harming you. Not yet, at any rate. You're a half-elf."

"Who are you? How are you speaking to me?" _How do you know I'm a half-elf?_ Genis' mind raced. Was he hearing things? Could he really be going crazy?

"You'll find out all in good time. Now, the matter of your lineage. We can't keep one of our own imprisoned with mere humans, oh no. That would be immoral, even if you did travel with that idiot boy who tried to wreck my ranch."

"Forcystus? You're the one speaking!"

"Very good. Clever boy, isn't he? Now. We are willing to…'forgive' your little jaunt with Lloyd Irving, if you will do something for us in return."

"Forgiveness doesn't carry a price," Genis replied coldly. "I won't do anything you say."

"Not even if it means the lives of your companions?" Forcystus asked, a sneer in his voice. An image flashed onto a screen in front of Genis, an image of Raine, standing on a gallows, as Cacao had been that day in Palmacosta. "Of your friends?"

"You don't have them," Genis growled, hoping he sounded convincing enough. "They're nowhere near Iselia!"

"They're nearing another of our ranches even as we speak, boy. But that's all for another time. You see, we understand that you are just like us, a half-elf, a higher being."

Genis seethed with rage at this. He'd spent his entire life with everyone he knew believing he was completely an elf, with no human mixed in. But somehow these Desians had his secret, and he could tell they were going to make use of it.

"Seeing as you are one of us, we feel it would be…insulting for you to have to suffer imprisonment as those inferior humans do. So we have a different proposition for you instead."

"I am not one of you!" Genis yelled, jumping to his feet. "I will never lower myself to be a Desian! I will not treat humans that way!"

"We treat them that way because of how they treat us!" Forcystus yelled, and the vibration of the sound was enough to startle Genis back into the chair. The image on the screen changed to two people walking across a very large bridge. "Do you know that in some parts of the world, half-elves are executed, just for being out in the open? Out in daylight?"

"That's absurd," Genis said, crossing his arms. But the man and woman on the screen—the half-elves Forcystus had just spoken of—were set upon by four heavily-armed and –armored soldiers, who set about escorting them to some sort of prosperous city.

As Genis watched, horrified, their execution was carried out before him. He closed his eyes as the screen went dark, determined to ignore anything else Forcystus might try to show him.

"Our people are forced to work in cellars and sewers, never seeing the light of day or conversing with other people. The luckiest ones get to live in dirty slums, without enough food or clean water to really sustain a person."

More images, but Genis' eyes remained firmly closed. He would not become part of one of Forcystus' plans. An electric shock coursed through him, and his eyes shot open in surprise and pain. He watched the screen despite his disgust and defiance, finding it preferable to being slowly fried.

Forcystus went on talking, he was sure of it, but the words and the images and the chill of the room all seemed to blend into one another. Time lost its meaning in a totally different way from the previous week. He saw things he never thought he'd see in his entire lifetime, and things he'd seen all too often. He closed his eyes for a moment, to rest them, and felt the electricity course through him again.

He didn't have the strength to open them, however, so the shock continued. He didn't care anymore. After everything he'd seen…he wasn't going to go on watching, or listening, or caring. Those stupid humans could up and die for all he…

_No! What am I thinking?_ _My best _friend_ is a human…and Colette…and…_

* * *

When Genis' eyes opened again, everything was dark, and he was on his feet. He wasn't sure how he was managing that, until a light, smaller than a grain of rice, appeared before him. He sighed, shaking his head. He was dreaming again. Well, at least his dreams were a safe haven from the Desians.

The light flashed once, and the woman with wings was standing before him again. Strangely, she was half-transparent now, and her wings nearly invisible. And she was not smiling; her arms were crossed, her forehead creased in a scowl.

"What did I do?" Genis asked, for under that glare he felt certain he had done wrong. He also felt very small, like he had as a younger child when Raine had yelled at him.

'_It is what you have not done,_' she replied in a sad, wispy voice. Waving a hand at the darkness before her, she shook her head. '_All their lights…have gone out._'

"No! Not just because…because I didn't do something! No one person can take the light from everyone! No!"

'_What if they can? What if you've done the unthinkable, Genis?_'

"Then I'll fix it! I'll do whatever I have to, but I promise I'll fix it!"

She seemed about to speak again, but with a flash of light she was gone, and Forcystus stood in her place. He sneered and laughed, shoving Genis back a step.

"Go away! You have no business here!" Genis yelled, reaching for the kendama that had been present last time. It was not there now, but he stepped forward anyway, ready to fight with just his fists if he had to. Forcystus would not best him here; this mind and this dream were his territory.

"I have plenty of business here, actually," Forcystus said, leaning against a wall that suddenly appeared, as things tend to do in dreams. "Hold no illusions, boy. I can take you out in a heartbeat."

"Of course you can. But I'll beat you in half of one, so you'll never get the chance."

"Neither will you. Wake up, Genis, and see the world with your new vision." Forcystus laughed then, a laugh that came from a deep and evil place, and without warning Genis was awake again, lying on something soft and comfortable and staring up into the eyes of his enemies.

"Before you deign to speak to us," said one of them dryly, "will you join the people who are struggling to make life better for half-elves in a world of persecution?"

"Are those people Desians?" Genis asked, trying to sound defiant and cold.

"Yes."

"Then no. And you can tell that to Forcystus, too."

The Desians laughed. One of them raised his hand and brought the back of it across Genis' face, the same side where he'd been hit before, and he saw stars—the Desian had been wearing his metal gloves. Blinking against the explosions in his head, Genis heard the Desians, still laughing, leave the room. As his vision cleared, he looked around the room he was in.

He was sitting on a bed, one that had a soft feather pillow and an intricate cover. Across the room was some sort of desk, set between two windows from which curtains hung. One set of them billowed in the gentle breeze from the open window, and Genis rose and looked out, down onto the grounds of the human ranch.

They were still trying to clear away the garbage from before, he saw, and Desians stood over the humans and whipped them, sometimes without any real provocation. It was simply a desire to cause pain.

_But…but the humans…they caused the pain first!_ Genis thought, recalling vividly a scene in which a half-elf child was left alone in a burning city, searching for the parents the humans had killed. And then…then the humans had come back and killed the boy, too.

That was wrong. Despite everything Genis knew about the Desians and their ranches, deliberate killing like that was wrong. And everything had been like that. In whatever part of this world that was…people were dying. Just because they were different. Because they weren't…human.

Humans. Genis' mind raged at the thought of them, and one fist pounded the windowsill without his knowledge. How dare they take innocent lives? How dare they force his people to live in shadows and slums, and burn their cities and kill their children? _How dare they?_

The pain in his hand alerted him to the fact that he'd hit the sill again, and he rubbed it with his other hand, shaking himself out of such thoughts. Humans were his _friends_, and had always been. Raine's, too.

_But they banished you from their village, and didn't care one bit that your house was burned, and look at the way people think of the Desians…but they think of them that way because they harm innocent lives! But…they're not innocent, they're killers…_

Genis sighed and held his head in his hands. He didn't even know what to think anymore.

It was an hour before anyone came into the room again. An hour of watching the humans pulling and lifting and being whipped. An hour of his mind warring with itself about humans, half-elves, good and evil. Genis was almost grateful for the relief as the door opened.

Until he saw Forcystus walk through it.

"Certainly you must understand," he said, in a calm and understanding voice very unlike his usual. "We Desians do as we do in an effort to stop persecution, destruction and death. And the Exspheres work so much better when they're connected with humans, it seemed a logical addition."

"But…but how does…harming others, imprisoning them…how does that stop all these things?" Genis asked uncertainly, though he was certain that this was a good question.

"It doesn't. We merely wish the humans to see how we have felt, all these long years. We wish them to experience what we have experienced, that they may better understand and respect half-elves."

"So…so this is just…just temporary?"

"Yes. That is also why we set a death count and do not exceed it, as was shown in Palmacosta. Until we are certain that the killing and hatred will stop, the human ranches must continue. Do you understand, Genis?"

Genis blinked. The way Forcystus said it, it all made so much sense. But…this was the same man who had turned Marble into a monster. The same man who had caused Lloyd's banishment from Iselia, and Genis' as well. These were the people who had been going to hang Cacao, and had captured Chocolat.

But was that all alright, compared to what the humans themselves had done?

Genis shook his head, and looked up at Forcystus with a sigh. "I don't know."

"Well, I'll come back again tomorrow, perhaps, after you've had some time to think. But…Genis…there's something I want you to see. Will you come with me?"

Genis' name sounded strange when spoken by Forcystus, but resignedly Genis nodded, following behind Forcystus as he left the room and turned down a long, well-lit hallway. They turned again and came to a door at the end of the hall, and Forcystus held the door open for Genis, gesturing for the boy to enter first.

In this room was another large screen, but there were several other things as well, and the humming vibration that came with magitechnology permeated the air. Forcystus, a hand on Genis' shoulder, stepped up to the screen, and Genis walked with him. He was deep in thought, trying to figure out his strange, almost trusting feelings towards the Desian, and so barely noticed as the wall came to life.

Two people, a man and a woman, both with silvery hair and blue eyes, stood outside a small house. The man was holding the hand of a girl, and the woman carried a baby in her arms. Gathered around them were several other villagers, and the one in the lead was shouting.

Several things happened at once, and Genis almost couldn't make sense of them. But at the end of it all, the girl and the baby were left outside the village, alone. The screen went dark, and after allowing Genis to process what he'd seen, Forcystus looked down at him.

"Well?" Genis asked, shrugging. "Haven't I seen enough of that?"

Forcystus laughed softly, though there was no humor in it. "So. You do not understand. You didn't recognize those people. But how could you? You were too young to remember."

Genis gasped. _No! No, he can't be telling the truth! He…he can't be! Those…those weren't my…_

"Those were my parents."

"Yes, Genis, they were. Perhaps…perhaps now, you'll understand."

Genis barely even noticed that he was led back to his room, the door locked behind him. He didn't feel the softness of the bed as he sat on it, or the soft breeze coming in through the window. He paid no attention when food was brought, or as the sun set outside his windows.

He sat there for three hours, numb and unfeeling, unable to really make sense of what he'd seen. Or what he now felt.

_Forcystus…showed me…how my parents died…and countless before and after them…he explained why…why they treat humans like this…why it's necessary…why they all have…Exspheres…_

Genis laid down on the bed, closing his eyes. But that didn't work. Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw were his parents dying. Over and over again.

_I…I might've had a family…a family that loved me…and we'd still be together now, if it weren't for…the humans…Lloyd! He's…he's my friend…no. No, he…he must be pretending, faking it…no human will ever be my friend. Not after what they did to my family_.

Genis' eyes closed again, and this time the arms of sleep drew him into welcome darkness.

* * *

Genis knew, now, that he was dreaming. He couldn't have been doing anything else—he had his kendama and clothes back, and he was outside, looking at the stars. He was starting to get very annoyed with this, these dreams that meant nothing to him. He wanted a dreamless night. Just to fall asleep and wake up again without remembering anything in between.

"But don't you want to know?" asked a voice. He turned around and met the eyes of a girl his height, with silvery hair and carrying a staff.

"Know what?" he snapped, annoyed. "The only thing I want to know is how to make these stupid dreams go faster."

"I don't know that. But I'll put it on my list," she promised, tapping the staff on the ground. "Say, you're a half-elf! Well, mister half-elf, it was nice meeting you!" The girl smiled at him, then turned to walk away. Genis almost called out to her, but suddenly it wasn't worth the effort.

He sighed and sat down, trying to ignore the fact that he couldn't control his dreaming any more than he could control Forcystus. It seemed that for a very long time all he did was look at the stars and think about nothing.

He did recall, however, that there was something he hadn't done, and that had made the woman with wings…not upset, really, but sad, perhaps. Forlorn. That was a good word for it.

He awoke to the sound of his door clicking open. He didn't open his eyes, though—better that whoever had come in leave just as efficiently. He didn't want to be bothered. There were some metallic noises, and then whoever it was did indeed leave again, and the door locked behind them.

Opening his eyes, Genis saw a tray of food sitting on the room's desk. Realizing that he hadn't eaten in more than a day, and that he was starving, he rose and sat at the desk, tasting the meal hesitantly, finding that it tasted good, and eating it quickly.

As he finished, the door opened again. It was Forcystus, arriving as he had said he would. Genis sighed. After the night before, he finally believed he understood. But he also knew that this was not what Raine would want him to do.

_But I'm doing this to _protect _Raine_, Genis reasoned. He was doing this for Raine's benefit, for everyone's benefit. This would be a decision that would help the world, he thought, suddenly quite proud of himself.

Still. It wasn't what Raine would want him to do. But it would be easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

In a startling and, admittedly, frightening moment of clarity, Genis realized that he should not have anything to do with the Desians. But the look on Forcystus' face, unrelenting and kind at the same time, told Genis that his only alternative was death. And he couldn't let that happen. He had to stay alive, to get back to Raine and the others again.

And then he'd kill the humans. …Right?

Genis shook his head, then looked up at Forcystus.

"Well, Genis?" the Desian leader asked, his voice still odd when it said Genis' name. "Do you understand? Will you join the Desians in their cause?"

Genis saw, for a fleeting moment in his mind's eye, himself and Raine standing outside their house in Iselia, with Lloyd and Colette running to meet them. But that image was quickly replaced by death, destruction…all the horrible things. Blinking once, Genis returned Forcystus' steady gaze.

"Yes. I will become a Desian."

* * *

* * *

Well. Well. Well.

What can I say? This wasn't an easy decision for Genis to make…

Reviewing will get you everywhere!!


	3. To Be Destroyed

The Enemy of My Enemy

A/N: Here you guys go! Isn't it exciting? This chapter…sorry it took so long, I'm on vacation and we're being hurricaned, or we were, so I couldn't get online. Thanks to the muses for reminding me about…certain things regarding invasions and infiltration. You'll see.

Chapter Three: To Be Destroyed

Genis walked down the brightly-lit hall, swinging the free end of his kendama around in a little circle. The Desians had given him a better one upon the completion of his week of 'training.' He had been moved to the human ranch near the cities of Asgard and Luin, and was one of the guards of the Exsphere conveyors. He had a relatively nice room of his own, with a view of the sunset, and was no longer troubled by dreams of any kind.

He had grown accustomed to, and even begun to like, the resonance of magitechnology that hovered constantly in the background. Out of some lingering sense of pity, or perhaps disgust, he never went anywhere near the rooms where the humans were kept, preferring to spend his free time with his Desian friends instead.

Elysia, a short but powerful spear wielder, and Riley, two feet taller than Genis and several times denser, and with sword skill that matched his strength, were waiting for him outside the door to his room.

"Come on, kid," Riley said, messing up Genis' hair. Genis sighed, shoving the older man away.

"I told you to stop doing that or I'd flash-fry you," he warned, trying to rearrange his hair with his fingers. Elysia laughed, then shoved her brother as well.

"Come on, leave him be. He's new, and he hasn't lost any of that hair to a battle yet."

"You have," Genis remarked, ducking as the spear swing across at about where his head had been. Standing upright again, he noticed a sparkle dancing in Elysia's eyes. "What is it?'

"New humans," she said, pointing. Genis turned around and watched as three Desians—unfamiliar faces, but then most still were, here—carrying whips and leading two prisoners, walked past them, their feet falling in perfect step with one another.

Genis glanced back at Riley and Elysia, and the looks on their faces were almost predatory. He understood it in Riley; the man was one of the prison guards, and he enjoyed any time he got to spend 'talking' to the human captives. He was always boasting that Exsphere quality had gone up since he'd come here.

Elysia, however, worked double-duty, half the time with Genis and the conveyors, and half the time in one of the hallways outside the control room. She never even came into contact with the humans, unless you counted watching them go by through the window in the conveyor room.

Genis shrugged. This was how Desians were. He knew, too, that he'd be equally disposed to helping the development of the Exspheres along by 'guarding' the humans, given the chance. He frowned, thinking about it, giving the wall across from him a very dark glare.

The humans were not to be forgiven.

Genis gave the siblings a nod, then retreated into his room. He sat on his bed, reflexively rubbing his wrist—there was the faintest of marks, still, from the metal ring that had blocked his magic. It had been tight enough that its impression had remained for days after they'd taken it off. To his relief, though, the swelling on the left side of his face had been practically gone by the time he'd reached this ranch.

It was still strange being here, though. Even in such a short time in Iselia, he'd become accustomed to speaking with Forcystus. Now, he was under the direction of Kvar, one of the Desian Grand Cardinals, and had only spoken to the man once. Genis found he thoroughly despised the leader's harsh voice and arrogant demeanor, but he didn't dare say something like that aloud. He didn't know if there were consequences for that sort of thing—he'd only been here four days.

Genis got up and set his kendama on the middle shelf in a set of three, then looked at the single, open window. The sun was coming strongly in, which put sunset about an hour away. Sleep was often a welcome relief for Genis—something in him was virtually exhausted by the small amount of work he did each day. After all, no one ever tried anything inside the ranch—there wasn't anything to guard against.

Genis ate his meal in silence that night, in his room, the window closed. He went to sleep with the disconcerting feeling that something was about to happen, and it would be big.

* * *

"Lord Kvar requests your presence," said the man standing outside his door the next morning. Genis raised his eyebrows in surprise, but nodded his acceptance. Making a fast decision, he grabbed his kendama, hooking it at his side. He'd learned very early to be prepared.

Carefully, trying not to forget where he was, he navigated the way to the control room, where Kvar spent most of his time. Elysia stood there, her spear firmly planted on the ground. Giving Genis a significant look, she stepped aside, and the door slid open for him.

"You wished to see me, Lord Kvar?" Genis asked, stepping in as much as he dared. Kvar turned from where he was studying a lit panel and regarded Genis with cold, impatient eyes.

"Yes, I did. Forcystus seems to think you're some sort of valuable asset. I feel the need to test that idea of his. You are to lead a team of five others, and I've already picked them out for you. Take your mage self and your companions to the city of Luin.

"Destroy it in front of its inhabitants. Kill some, if you must, but bring the rest here. Is that understood?"

"Of course, Lord Kvar," Genis said, stomping on the tiniest of voices that had begun to protest in his mind. He would prove himself useful to these Desians. He would bring them humans.

"Good. You go tomorrow. Now get back to work."

Genis turned and walked out of the room, and he could tell by the look on Elysia's face that she had heard everything.

"He's crazy, sending a kid like you on a raid like that. You sure you're up to it?"

"I've caused the destruction of towns before," Genis said vaguely, then continued walking. _Been part of the cause, anyway,_ he added in his thoughts. He gave a half-wave as he passed three other Desians going in another direction, then turned left to the Exsphere conveyor room. The door slid open and he resumed his usual place, standing near the door itself, leaning against the wall.

'_Oh, Genis. I never thought…you of all people, Genis. It's terrible_.'

Genis gasped. He knew that voice. But he wasn't dreaming—he was very much awake. And anyway, that lady had stopped pestering his sleep long ago. But still…it was her voice.

'_You give up hope so very easily. I always thought humans were so much more determined_.'

Genis looked around, then said very quietly, "Well there you go. I'm a half-elf."

'_But aren't you, then, also half-human?_'

"Half…human?" For a single, pure moment, Genis felt very strange, and yet it was a familiar feeling—this was how he had felt before ever leaving Iselia, before joining Colette on her quest. But the moment passed, and Genis frowned. "It's irrelevant. Half-elves are superior to both of their ancestral races."

'_I am sorry._'

"What? What the heck does that mean? …Hey, where'd you go! Come back!"

"Hey, kid," said a voice, and Genis' eyes snapped open. Another Desian, one he recognized but could not name, stood in front of him. "Dozing off on duty?"

"Oh…oh, no, I'm sorry. I've been asked to lead a team to Luin tomorrow and I was trying to plan a strategy."

"Ah, I see," the man said mockingly. "Lord Kvar chose _you_ to raid Luin?"

"You can ask him yourself, if you'd like," Genis challenged, standing taller. "I'm sure he'd love to be so suddenly interrupted." The other man paled and backed away quietly, returning to his post. Genis nodded, satisfied.

_So I was dreaming, after all,_ he thought with a sigh. _I hope this doesn't become a constant thing—I don't need lectures from a dream-woman about being kinder to humans. Humans killed my family, and for that they cannot be forgiven_.

Walking back toward his room later that night, Genis stopped in front of the door to the human prison area. He wondered if Riley was done yet, then decided he might as well figure it out for himself. Stepping inside as the door slid open, he spotted Riley and began to join him on the far side of the room.

"Genis!" cried a female voice. Surprised, Genis turned toward the voice and saw that it came from one of the imprisoned humans. Shaking his head, he gave no reply, and commenced walking away.

"Genis, wait! Don't you remember me? What are you doing in Desian clothing?" He turned around again, to watch the realization dawn on Heather's face. "Oh…Genis…no…"

"Do not speak to me again, human," he said, turning away, though a second's hesitation held him before he could join Riley.

"Who was that?" Riley asked, flicking his whip playfully.

"I used to be at the Iselia human ranch," Genis said blandly. "So did she."

"You gave her your name?"

"It was given to her," he replied, shrugging. "That is how things are at Iselia, perhaps. I was only there for a week, in training."

"You must've been good, then. A good mage."

"I like to think so, yes. Anyway, I've been told I'm raiding Luin tomorrow, and that Kvar has picked out my…companions. Know anything about it?"

Riley grinned. "Sure do! I'm one of them! It'll be great—you can take out the buildings, and I'll round up the prisoners! The other guys…eh, we'll give 'em orders."

Genis grinned, too. "You bet. And if they say anything about it, I'll unleash my _fire_power!" They both laughed, then Genis bade Riley goodnight and headed for his room.

He stopped before he reached his door. Invading a city in broad daylight seemed silly. Luin would see them coming long before Genis ever got close. Better, he thought, to attack at night…when neither Kvar nor Luin would be expecting it.

Running back to the prison room, Genis collided with Riley, who was leaving himself. Sprawled on the floor, Genis blinked until the stars vanished, then pulled himself to his feet.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Riley said, frowning. "What was so important?"

"We have to do it now!" Genis exclaimed. "Get Elysia, and Fel and Jacob, and someone, anyone else, and meet me outside the gate. We're invading Luin tonight."

"Tonight? But Kvar—"

"It's easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission!" Genis explained, giving Riley a bit of a shove. "Go on, go! I'll meet you there in a few hours!" Riley nodded and took off down the hall.

Genis hurried to his room, savoring for a moment the experience of putting on his Desian armor for the first time. Fully dressed in it, he looked at himself in the mirror and gasped. He didn't recognize his own reflection. The kendama shone at his side, and mythril bracelets encircled both his wrists. They, too, glowed softly in the orange sunset.

Genis smiled, though even that was hard to discern in the mirror. _Tonight, Luin will fall, and I will prove my worth to Kvar._

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Genis?" Elysia asked quietly, hours later, as the six of them marched toward Luin. "If Lord Kvar finds out and gets angry…it could mean our lives."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Genis said stonily.

"He sure is one for clichés tonight," Riley remarked, and behind him Jacob chuckled. "Get your mage power ready, boys, we're nearly there. Genis, what's the plan?"

"Jacob and Fel, you two are with me," he said. "We're going to stand towards the outskirts and take out the buildings. Jacob, head for the eastern side, and Fel can take the western. I'll use my strongest techniques to take out the buildings in the center. Riley, Elysia and Teren are with you. Take as many prisoners as you can, and try not to kill anyone—more survivors means more Exspheres."

"Right," they said as one. Genis nodded, then brought himself into focus, and planted one foot on the bridge into Luin.

"_Now_!" he cried, and they ran into the city. Standing just across the bridge, Genis closed his eyes and felt the spell within him. Raising his kendama, he said the incantation, then grinned and unleashed his power.

"Stalagmite!" The building directly in front of him, bearing the sign 'Phoenix Inn,' exploded into fragments of wood and stone. Several people went flying as well, but Genis didn't pay attention to where they'd landed. He was too busy preparing his next spell.

"Air Thrust!" The wreckage of the Phoenix Inn was thrown into a spin by the force of Genis' spell, and pieces of it smashed into the other buildings, and the bridges and cliffs besides. Immensely satisfied with his destruction, Genis walked carefully across a half-smashed bridge to check on the others.

Elysia and Teren were standing guard around a group of huddled prisoners, and Riley was bringing along even more. Genis grinned, then gasped as he felt something slip into his armor and pierce his side.

Whirling angrily, Genis found himself facing…_that idiot human assassin who stopped us on the Ossa Trail!_ Genis glared at her, raising his kendama.

"If you truly wish to fight, human girl, I will give you a fight," Genis said coldly. "But you will not escape with your life."

"Get out of this city!" she yelled, raising her blue-tinted cards in some kind of defense. "Leave these people alone! If it's a fight you want, you can fight me. But you _will_ leave Luin be!" Genis laughed, and the back of his mind found the laugh fittingly evil.

"You'll take you own advice if you value your life," he replied, swinging the kendama's free end lazily. The assassin glared, and took a step forward. "Stone Blast!"

Earth erupted beneath her, and the assassin was thrown backwards. She righted herself midair, landing on her feet, and rushed at him with reflexes he couldn't hope to match. Raising a card, she cried, "Pyre Seal!" and a whirl of fiery cards struck at him, driving him back.

"Get your filthy half-elven selves back under the rocks you crawled from!" the assassin screamed, coming at him again. Genis laughed, stepped out of the way, and watched her collide with the far side of the city's fountain.

Genis laughed again, then turned his gaze on the fountain, the centerpiece of Luin's attractiveness. Another Stone Blast wrecked the outer wall, and the water bursting from the fountain caught the faint light of the rising sun.

The assassin tackled him from the side, then, but Genis rolled with her, coming to his feet almost as fast as she had. Looking down at the ground, he watched as the rings of his Spread spell began to glow beneath him, but listened also for the assassin's footsteps. When she had nearly reached him, he glanced up and slashed across with his kendama.

The assassin screamed, falling back, one hand clutching her stomach. Genis moved forward to attack again, to finish the annoying assassin off, but Riley's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"The prisoners are getting…restless," he said, giving Genis a significant look. Genis sighed, then gave the assassin a good, solid kick before turning to become part of the escort that would take the remaining people of Luin to the ranch.

Elysia came to walk beside him, though she was limping, and Genis slowed his pace to match. "This went very well," she told him, smiling. "Lord Kvar will be pleased."

"He won't take my head for having initiative?"

"He shouldn't. An invasion this successful hasn't happened in years. You're quite good for one so young, Genis."

"All it took was some motivation," Riley put in, grinning. His grin switched to a frown after a few minutes. "Hey, Genis. You alright? You're walking funny."

"Maybe that assassin did more than I thought," Genis agreed, looking down at a spreading stain on the side of his shirt. "Um…"

"What?" Elysia asked, turning to look at him as well. Genis realized he'd kept on falling behind. The sun was peeking over the horizon now, and Genis realized that it wasn't going to be a foggy morning. He was foggy himself.

Elysia and Riley were looking at him strangely now, and Riley moved to catch him as he stumbled. Pushing himself away, Genis stood again, the sun in his face, and remembered watching the sunrises with Raine in Iselia.

That was his last thought before he collapsed.

* * *

"What did Kvar say?" A male voice.

"He muttered about for a while, and then said he'd talk to him in private." A female voice.

"Well if this keeps up they won't be speaking at all!"

"You stop that! He wasn't hurt that badly, and Lord Kvar will wait. He'll have to—even he wouldn't risk a powerful mage like Genis over something trivial like a meeting."

Genis, hearing his name among the words, fought with the fog in his mind. Triumphing for a moment, he opened heavy eyes. Riley and Elysia were standing beside him, talking; he was lying in his bed. Angry at himself for being helpless, he pushed himself up until he was sitting.

"Good afternoon," Elysia offered, though her voice was nearing whispering tones. "Feel any better?"

"Than I did yesterday?" he asked, confused. Riley shook his head.

"Been three days. Kvar wants to see you," he added, and Genis sighed. _Three days. Three days of doing nothing, being useless. And Kvar is probably furious. But I did it. I led a team to Luin, and we raided it. And we won._

"If you're still hurt, Genis, I'll tell him to wait," Elysia said, crossing her arms and glaring at empty air. Genis suspected she'd had this conversation with Kvar more than once already.

"No, it's alright. I'll go now." Genis swung himself out of bed, leaning on the table beside it until he recovered himself. "You guys know what hit me?"

"Some kind of dart, they said. Not like anything we've seen in this world." Walking down the hall to Kvar's control room, Genis filed away that choice of words—nothing in _this_ world, suggesting, crazily, that there was another. The door to the control room slid open, and Genis experienced a moment of _déjà vu_.

"You wanted to see me, Lord Kvar?"

"I've been waiting long enough! You dared to disobey my orders! You went against my commands!"

Genis stood still, waiting for the angry Desian leader to finish. He knew he'd hear the point eventually.

"And…it was expertly done, boy. Raiding at night, when we all least expected it. We didn't get all the humans, but we got a good handful. You're to be commended." Genis, taken aback, couldn't answer for several seconds.

"Uh…thank you, Lord Kvar."

"Now. Because of this, your next mission will be higher in difficulty. Are you ready to face the challenge?"

"Name it."

"Alright. You'll be going out to the Balacruf Mausoleum, to—" He was cut off by an alarm sounding from everywhere all at once. Pressing a button, Kvar barked, "What is it?"

"The Chosen of Mana and her companions have infiltrated the ranch, sir," said a voice. Kvar slammed the panel before him, and turned to Genis with fire in his eyes.

"Your old friends, yes? Smash them. Kill them all. No, wait," Kvar amended, and Genis mentally sighed. He hated humans, all of them, but there was still a bit of a soft spot for Colette, kind to everyone and everything.

"What should I do instead, sir?"

"Take them prisoner. We will use their Exspheres."

"Yes, Lord Kvar. …One more thing, if I may?"

"Speak, boy."

"Traveling with…the Chosen…is another half-elf. If…if she might find some kind of place among the Desians as well? There is no reason to be killing another of our kind, after all, and she's a healer, she'll be useful…"

"Granted. Now go!"

Genis nodded, running from the room. He'd have to get back to grab his kendama, and put on his armor—he knew Lloyd and the others better than anyone, and he'd need the armor.

Emerging from his room minutes later, he noticed two Desians rushing by, escorting Lloyd and Kratos between them. Genis didn't recognize them, but that was nothing new—most Desians here, especially the females, were unfamiliar to him. Genis assumed his best stance and watched them pass. He was half-elven, after all, and those idiots were only human. Even if Lloyd had once been his friend.

_A sunny, breezy day…two children stand on the roof of a house in the woods, calling a third to join them…he climbs up and they watch the clouds pass together…they are kind to him despite who he is…_

Genis shook his head. False memories, pretended friendships; those had no place here. As the Desian following Lloyd and Kratos passed, Genis nodded and said, "Good work. Makes my job easier."

"Sure hope so," the female replied. She took only two more steps, then turned and stared at him. Genis was giving her the same shocked look, and his hands were shaking slightly. "…Genis?"

"_Raine_?"

* * *

* * *

There. Another one down. Two or three more to go, methinks. Hail?

_Arr?_

This is the threat. Review or...all Hail will break loose.

_Arr!_


	4. Light

The Enemy of My Enemy

A/N: Well. Here it is. There's really no introduction for this.

Oh! To you who said this would stay good even if it were twenty chapters long: you have improved an otherwise horrible day and have my deepest thanks. If I had enough material for twenty chapters, I'd probably write them. Unfortunately, I don't.

Now get reading!

Chapter Four: Light

Genis didn't know what to do. Standing not three feet away was his sister, wearing a Desian fighter's uniform and escorting Lloyd and Kratos through the base with the help of _another_ Desian. To his knowledge, Raine hadn't been taken to either of the ranches. He was very confused.

The other Desian turned around, and immediately assumed a defensive stance. "You're the brat who tried to kill me in Luin!" she screeched, and Genis noted a blue-colored card in one of her hands.

"Stopped only by necessity," he retorted, swinging his kendama casually. He could beat her again, too. Raine as well—all she had were healing abilities. Lloyd and Kratos, he noted, said nothing; they simply stared, glancing at each other every few seconds. Genis reminded himself to watch them most closely.

"Genis, what are you doing here?" Raine asked, stepping closer to him and reaching to touch his shoulder. Out of reflex he stepped back, and Raine froze, her hand hanging in the air. "Genis?"  
"I could ask you the same thing!" he cried, trying to work his mind around the ides that Raine _and_ the assassin were Desians, too. "How did you get in?"

"Oh, these!" Raine looked down at herself, and brushed at the skirt of the armor. "It was Sheena's idea, I think. I don't really remember…these weeks have been a blur to me…Genis!" Without warning, Raine rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her brother. Genis felt that, were it not for the armor, he'd be finding it hard to breathe. "I was so worried about you…don't you ever do something so foolish again!"

Genis saw Raine's hand headed for his face. She was going to slap him. He saw it, and he knew that she was angry because she'd thought he was dead, but he hated it. Hated _her_, for always hitting him, treating him like a child. He did something then that he'd never done in his life, especially not to Raine.

He hit back. One hand rose to stop her blow, and the other dropped the kendama and struck Raine in the face instead.

"Enough. Take your prisoners to their cells and leave their weapons with Lord Kvar," he said coldly. "And make sure they don't cause any trouble." Nodding stiffly, he turned on one heel and strode off down the hall, leaving a stunned Lloyd and Kratos and an equally shocked Raine behind him.

"I'm so sorry, Genis," said a voice to his left. He spun, and glanced up a bit, and realized Colette was standing before him, her angel wings extended. Shaking her head, she pulled her wings in and stepped toward Genis. Frozen in place, Genis didn't even fight as she removed his helmet, flipped it over, and brought it down onto his head.

The world spun and flashed in bright colors. Genis was aware of voices shouting, and of Colette turning and running away. Someone grabbed him roughly and started pulling him along, and down the hall he could hear shouts and spell calls. His first instinct was to run to his sister, to help her.

He remembered after a few seconds that he couldn't do that anymore. His sister had allied herself with the enemy, as he once had. In choosing them, she condemned herself as well.

But…but he couldn't attack Raine! He couldn't _kill_ her! She was his sister, his family…a half-elf like him! Abandoned like him! …She had lost the same parents he had. He could never bring himself to harm her.

"Hey, Genis! Snap out of it!" Genis shook his head, and images righted themselves. "Come on, we've got to head them off outside the control room!"

"What?" Genis asked, stumbling over both his words and his steps. Elysia had him by the wrist and was pulling him along behind her, running at a rather relaxed pace but urging Genis to speed up.

"We have to beat them there or they'll get in and destroy this ranch like they did Palmacosta! Come _on_!" Genis heard these words, and his feet began to move faster, but something in his mind was shifting. Unbidden, memories were rising to the front of his mind.

_Iselia was finally a place I could call home…_

_A moonless night spent atop a thatched roof, studying the stars beside his friends…_

_Genis…you were like a grandson to me…thank you…_

_You killed my grandmother!_

_Colette, you're not eating very much anymore. Are you sure you're okay?_

_Wow! Those wings are cool! Do that again!_

_We have to destroy the ranch. The Desians' hold over Palmacosta ends here._

_Raine, where are our mother and father? Why aren't they here with us anymore?_

They were approaching the doors to the control room. Kvar was probably still inside, doing whatever it was he did. Watching the ranch, probably. Genis felt his kendama shoved into his hand, and he swung it absently. His mind was back in order now.

He was responsible for the lives of Lloyd and the others. And he would not fail Kvar. Elysia, Riley and two others stood around him, their weapons ready. He readied his, too, already reaching for the power of his first spell.

Lloyd was the first to round the corner, swords already drawn. His face registered shock at the fact that it truly was Genis standing before him, but the surprise faded into anger within seconds. Colette and Kratos were behind him, and then Raine and the assassin Sheena, now free of their Desian disguises.

"Genis! How could you do this? The Desians are the enemy!" Lloyd shouted, anger burning on his face. Genis glared at him, equally infuriated.

"How could you _humans_ do what you have done? Taking innocent lives, killing people because of their _race_! That is unforgivable, and rightly punishable!"

"So you kill us right back?" Lloyd retorted hotly, taking a step forward.

"It is fair repayment for the families and friends half-elves have lost because of the human inability to see past appearances, past heritage!" Genis stepped forward as well, and raised his kendama, faint circles of light appearing on the ground around him as he reached for his Spread spell.

Lloyd rushed him, and Genis knew he'd never be fast enough to guard against it. Riley took the opportunity instead, rushing Lloyd right back and entangling the twin blades in his whip. Elysia ran forward as well, headed for Raine but stopped by Kratos.

The siblings had bought Genis just enough time, and with a taunt of, "Drown!" water erupted under Lloyd, sending him flying up and back, crashing into Sheena, who righted herself midair and raised her cards defensively as she landed.

"You're pathetic," she said scathingly. "Too cowardly to kill me and now afraid to face your friend with a real weapon."

In response, Genis only stepped back further, a new spell etching itself into his mind. He ignored Sheena's remarks, preferring the feeling of power growing within him. Smiling evilly, he let his spell go.

"Air Thrust!" Blades of green-tinted wind whirled around Sheena, tossing her in several directions in midair before dropping her to the ground again. She lay there still and unmoving.

Genis watched Elysia swing her spear around to knock one of Colette's chakrams from the air, and then pivot completely around to block a thrust from Kratos. He grinned, then turned his attention back to Lloyd and Riley. The Desian was on one knee, on the point of surrender, and Lloyd's blades danced around him in a way Genis had never seen before.

_The last time I saw Lloyd…he was being catapulted into a tree…_

Genis shook his head, freeing himself of the memory. Lloyd had moved on from Riley, and he and Colette together now assaulted the two other Desians. Someone else's Stone Blast spell—_Kratos?!_—launched one of them into the air, and Genis turned back around to find Elysia motionless, facedown on the floor.

Genis suddenly felt it all. Everything, from the pretending and hiding his identity in every town he and Raine entered, to being treated as a child, to being captured by his enemy, to watching his own parents murdered and facing his sister as her enemy, boiled up inside him and spilled over.

"_NO!_" he yelled, and he rushed at Kratos, moving faster than he ever had but still so obviously slower than the mercenary could. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Riley rushing too, and he knew that Kratos couldn't take on both of them at once.

_He had to sneak food up to the ranch every day, always praying he wouldn't get caught, by the Desians or by the mayor…_

_Raine was up late again, reading one of her books, like she always seemed to be now, always thinking of ruins and archaeology._

_Colette stood before the angel Remiel, a Cruxis Crystal glittering faintly just below her neck. _

_Genis felt his magic draining, then saw Lloyd raise an Orange Gel and toss it into the air. Laughing, Genis leapt and caught it in his mouth…_

_A woman with wings and eyes that saw eternity laughed a sound of windchimes._

_Kratos did not have a place amid the people in his dream._

Genis nearly stopped as this knowledge struck him. _He didn't have a place, just like I don't_, Genis thought, his pace slowing. _What…what could we possibly have in common?_

But Kratos was inched from him now, and Genis and Riley struck together. It was obvious that Riley was more physically capable, so Genis dropped back to cast another spell. His backsteps took him close to where Elysia had fallen, and he knelt beside her as swiftly as he could, gently rolling her over. His eyes widened and he blinked, then closed his eyes.

"Ge…Genis…" Elysia whispered, and just the effort of that brought the rage forward anew in the young mage's heart. "I…I failed…Lord Kvar…"

"No, Elysia, never! Don't think that! Don't think about any of it, we'll take care of these guys real quick, I promise."

"Tell my…my brother…"

"Tell him yourself!" Genis' voice edged toward desperation, and he felt his fingernails digging at the palms of his hands. And perhaps there were even tears.

"It's wrong…what…what we do…killing…" Elysia blinked once, and sighed, closing her eyes and becoming very still. Genis sat there for what felt like hours, not knowing what to do, without anything useful at his disposal.

Nothing but power. Years' worth of practicing and learning spells and studying. All at his fingertips. All he had to do was let that string inside him, the string that had become so frayed these past few weeks, let those ends come apart.

As he stood, Genis snapped.

He felt fire within him, a kind of fire unlike any he'd ever known before. He knew that the fire would consume him, destroy him, but that didn't matter anymore. It would destroy the rest of them, too. Then this fighting, this killing, would stop. All of it would come to a screeching halt, and life would go back to the way it should have been.

Lloyd stood facing him, determination written on his features. "I don't want to fight you, Genis. You're my best friend."

"False. You pretended friendship in order to feel superior."

"It's that kind of talk that makes everyone fight in the first place! Why can't all this stupidity just end?"

"I will end it."

"No, Genis!" Lloyd cried, raising his swords. "I don't want to fight you. …But I will. I'll…I'll kill you if I have to. If you really are…a Desian…then I have no choice!"

"Just try." Already, the fire was rising. Lloyd couldn't stop it now—no one could. Genis saw the blades arcing towards him, but his kendama rested on the ground beside Elysia, useless now. He felt the blades strike him, felt one arm go numb from it, but he wasn't fast enough to even think of dodging, and he couldn't move anyway.

"I'm sorry, brother," said a voice that sounded so far away. Pale spell circles danced on the edges of Genis' vision, but that didn't matter, either. The fire was almost here now. Soon, all of this would end.

"Light!" said Raine's voice, and Genis could see her in his mind, standing tall with her staff raised high. "Photon!"

Golden rings surrounded him, and their light blinded him, and brought control to the fire within him, sent it back to its origins. _No! I need that fire! I need to finish what I have begun!_ Genis reached within him, but the fire and his own strength were disappearing. He was on his knees, the light still whirling about him in its dazzling dance. As he fell toward the floor—he would never feel himself hit—one last memory flickered through his darkening mind.

_"Raine? Raine, where are you?"_

_"Calm down, Genis, I'm right here."_

_"Raine…do you really think we'll be able to stay in Iselia?"_

_"Of course we will. To them…we are elves. And we must stay that way. Don't forget, Genis, that no matter what race you are, you are still a person, and your life still has value." Hand in hand, they entered the gates._

_"Hello!" A boy, tall, dark hair standing nearly vertical._

_"Hi." Genis looked at his shoes. "We moved here earlier."_

_"Really? Cool. I'm Lloyd." Genis looked up. The boy…Lloyd…was offering his hand. Tentatively, Genis shook it. "You look like an elf."_

_"I…I am. An elf."_

_"That's cool too. Hey…you wanna be friends?"_

_Friends? A human boy, offering…friendship? His eyes…they looked so serious, and kind, and funny…and there was a girl too, shorter, blonde…his friends…_

_"Okay."_

_Lloyd…and Colette. And Genis._

* * *

Genis opened his eyes and looked around. It was dark, but there were lights in the distance. They looked like the lights of Palmacosta at night…

_'Well, well, well. It's the superior being,'_ said a silent voice behind him. Genis stood and turned, gazing into the familiar bottomless eyes of the winged woman. _'What are you doing back here? I thought you were beyond the human level.'_

"No. No…that isn't it anymore. Is it? That's what I didn't do. I didn't remember that…that every life has value."

_'Not quite, no. But that works just as well.'_

"So…am I allowed to join those people…with the light?" Genis could vaguely remember that it had been destroyed at one point, the place where his friends and sister floated in the air with light pouring form them.

_'Not just yet, I'm afraid,'_ she said, shaking her head. _'There is still something you haven't done.'_

"Then…then can you answer a question for me?"

_'To the best of my ability.'_

"Why…why is Kratos missing from…over there?" Genis gestured to the lights. "What do he and I have in common that separates us from them?"

_'Those were two questions,'_ she pointed out, _'but I will answer them as I can. Kratos is not among the spirits, true, but at the moment neither are Lloyd or your sister. There are other…factors…besides faith and courage. As for your common traits…in time, you will discover that for yourself, Genis. In a very short time, as I see.'_

"You do that a lot."

She looked surprised, curious. _'Do what?'_

"Answer the question without actually _answering_ the question."

_'Years of practice,'_ she remarked with a small smile. Her image faded then, but as it did, something else tapped him on the shoulder. He spun, and found himself facing the silver-haired girl. She still carried her staff, and she was grinning.

"You're the half-elf boy! I remember you! I never see any other half-elves here…usually we hide, in cellars and things. Sometimes we look human enough to pass but…I don't. So I usually hide. Do you?"

"Me? Oh…no, I…I live in this village where…they think I'm a full-blooded elf. So they leave me alone, mostly. Except, I was kind of…banished."

"Oh? I was, too. From my old home, I mean. I used to live with elves, but…something happened. I don't know what, it's hard to remember. I just know that one day we…my brother and I…we were with Mother and Father…and then we were in a very strange place. Alone."

"I hope you…find it better in the new place. I mean…you're not alone if you have one another."

"I always did think it was odd, though," said the silver-haired girl, twirling her staff along its long axis in one hand. "I mean…humans respect elves, and elves respect humans. Why can't either race see their half in a half-elf? I mean…I'm half an elf, but I'm half a human too, right? And…and I do the same things humans do, don't I? Like…crying, and laughing, and playing tag…"

"And studying, and learning," Genis added, looking up at the stars. "Making friends, and eating lunch outside on sunny days…humans do those things just like I do. …Just like we do."

"So…what makes us so wrong, then? I mean…it isn't my fault that Mother was an Elf and Father was human…is it?"

"No! Of course not. …I know someone very wise. When I first had to pretend to be an elf, she told me that no matter what I was on the outside, I was still a person and my life had value." Genis looked down, embarrassed. "I was stupid to forget that. Everyone has been."

"I like that! It sounds…right. And fair."

"It is. But too many people see only the destruction and death and…and the enemy. They don't see that the enemy has emotion, family, humor. They don't see that their enemies live lives so very similar to their own." Genis sank to the ground, watching his own tears wet the earth below him. "They don't see."

"Well…well they could learn, couldn't they?"

"I…I don't know, actually. From what I've just done…it doesn't seem like it."

"If what they really want, deep down within every heart, is peace, then they must be able to learn. I'm going to try! When I get older, and hopefully taller, I'm going to travel the world and teach them acceptance!"

"Good luck," Genis whispered, and the girl waved to him as she ran off, fading into the distance. Genis sat there by himself for what felt like a very long time, but the thoughts whirling through his mind were refreshing, and they made sense—they weren't clouded with anger, or fear, or sadness. They simply _were_, the way he knew things needed to just _be_.

He closed his eyes, part of him wondering how it was possible to fall asleep while already in a dream. But then he, too, slowly faded from the night.

* * *

* * *

…Wow.

That. Was. Intense.

I got quite caught up in that chapter. My heart's rather in it, see, so you'd better review it! All comments are greatly appreciated!


	5. Where You Belong

The Enemy of My Enemy

Chapter Five: Where You Belong

Music. There was music. Someone…was singing. He knew the song…almost by heart, he knew it. It drew him from the depths of his sleep and up into himself again. And slowly, as though for the first time, Genis opened his eyes.

It was dark. Shadows of tree branches shifted above him with light rustling and swishing, and through their leafy canopy shone the thousands of stars. He blinked, and listened to the music again, noticed the sounds of other people asleep around him, noticed that he was covered with a blanket and the dying embers of a fire smoldered nearby.

As slowly and quietly as he could, Genis pushed himself up so he was sitting. He closed his eyes again, against the dizziness, and when he opened them saw he was wearing his old clothes and shoes, and his old kendama rested a few feet away, and his old friends were sleeping in a circle around the fire. Only Colette was missing, but when he looked away from the fire he saw her, out away from the trees, on a small ledge. She was singing softly.

She stopped suddenly, and turned to look behind her. Seeing Genis awake, she smiled her cheerful smile and waved at him. Unsteadily, feeling like he would fall over with every step, he made his way over to sit beside her. She smiled at him again, then returned to her singing.

"Colette?" Genis asked softly, afraid to speak even to her. He had tried to kill her…to kill all of them. _That_ was unforgivable.

"Yes Genis?" Colette answered in a bright voice. Genis sighed.

"I…do you think…are they angry? Are you angry?"

"I'm not angry, Genis! I know you didn't really mean it."

"That's just it, though. At the time…I really did."

"But you don't anymore, and you're back again, and that's what matters," Colette insisted. "Don't you hear what Lloyd's always saying? No matter what you become, you're still you inside. I'm still Colette despite becoming an angel, and you're still Genis."

"Well…well what about Raine? She must be so mad at me."

"No, I don't think she's mad either. She felt horrible when you disappeared. Kratos had a black eye and everything." Colette laughed at the memory, and Genis tried to smile, too, envisioning the strong mercenary with one eye bruised from Raine's blow. "I think she's just glad you're back."

"I know I've missed a lot of your journey…haven't I?"

"I guess so. I've…I've released two more seals. There's just one more, and then I get to go to the Tower of Salvation and…and become an angel."

"You'll make a great angel, Colette," Genis reassured her. "You're kind to everyone. No matter who they are or what they look like…or even if they threaten your life."

"Look! The sun's coming up!" Colette said excitedly. And indeed, over the horizon there appeared a soft orange glow, and they watched the sunrise in silence. It was beautiful; brilliant and golden, and the air itself seemed to sing with the majesty of it.

"Aww, Dad, five more minutes," Lloyd mumbled, rolling over. Sheena groaned and pulled her blanket over her head against the light, and Genis would have laughed, if the lightness of laughter had been in him. Colette started to softly sing again, and this time Genis hummed along with her.

The sun rose higher, forcing Sheena to roll away from its glare, blanket still firmly planted over her face. Raine made soft mumbling noises and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Rising as soundlessly and fluidly as if he hadn't even been there a moment before, Kratos walked over to Lloyd and crouched, shaking the boy's shoulder.

"I said…five minutes Dad…I cut the wood yesterday…" Genis and Colette had turned around by then, and Genis caught the look, a mixture of surprise, embarrassment and confusion, that crossed the mercenary's usually stoic face. It was gone in a matter of seconds, though, and he stood again and crossed his arms.

"Get up, Lloyd."

Lloyd's eyes snapped open and widened instantly at the sound of Kratos' voice, and he was halfway to standing before he remembered anything about the previous day.

"Ugh. Good morning to you too," he grumbled in Kratos' general direction, still hovering between kneeling and standing. "Does it always have to be sunrise?"

"He thinks it's _convenient_," Sheena mumbled, throwing her blanket away from her. "You'd better be glad I'm a morning person."

"You mean under the circumstances, or just all the time?" Lloyd joked, and was rewarded by a spell card barrage aimed at his face. "Hey!"

"Leave him be," Raine chided lightly. "He's already a few stones short of a ruin, he doesn't need to be hit in the head."

Colette walked soundlessly over to them, seeming almost to float. They all turned her way, smiling—with the exception of Kratos, who looked, as always, simply pensive—and Genis watched the smiles fade to shock when they saw him behind her.

"…Genis!" Lloyd said excitedly, beaming. "Hey, you don't look so bad now! You wouldn't have believed the mess you were yesterdayAGH!" Lloyd was cut off by the heel of Raine's boot stomping down on his fingers. "Professor!"

"Genis," Raine said, her voice equal parts excitement and concern. Genis looked down at the ground, his face turning red with shame and embarrassment. He'd tried to kill his own sister! His best friends!

Without warning, his sister's strong arms were around him, though lightly, as though she were afraid to hold too tight. Genis wasn't sure if that made it worse or better. He felt the effects of his actions now as clearly as he knew he should have all along.

He had joined the enemy.

He had become a Desian, a force of evil. A murderer.

He had destroyed an entire city.

He had tried to kill his only friends, and his last remaining family.

He had gone against everything he knew of right and good. Everything he knew of fairness and justice.

_"Justice…I hate that word…"_

_So do I, Lloyd. I mean…what kind of justice is this? The people of Luin are imprisoned, Elysia's dead—Elysia! She knew, didn't she? In the end…she figured it out, before I ever could. I'm such a child…_

"It's alright, Genis," Raine said quietly, stroking her brother's hair. Genis realized he was sobbing. Part of him felt the embarrassment of this, but a larger part felt an emerging hope. Maybe they didn't hate him. Maybe they could forgive him.

_Would _you _forgive a Desian?_

Genis searched within himself for the answer to that question. Just a few weeks ago, he had known a clear-cut, defined answer to that question—an emphatic no. He had known and believed in a precise line diving good and evil, light and dark.

Now there was no line. There was the light, and the dark, and between them a mix of steely gray and misty grey, color that faded into each respective area, blending seamlessly. There was no longer any true division.

_We do what they do. We cry, and laugh, and make jokes, and eat, and have families. We live. We die._

Genis had stopped crying, though he thought he might start again if he was provoked into speaking. He understood now, with a clarity seldom ever given to someone so young. A clarity present in everyone, he now saw, but kept hidden under false fears and anger. And hatred.

_We live. We die._

_So do they._

"I…" Genis began, but Raine's tightening embrace made him stop, made him consider what he had been about to say. He sighed softly, and then continued. "I know I did something wrong. I've been stupid. I can't possibly apologize enough for the things I've done…so I'm not going to try. I just hope you can forgive me."

He knew what they would say, of course. They'd say he'd only done what he had to do, that it was necessary for him to survive, that he hadn't meant it. And that would make him angry. He _had_ meant it, with all his heart and soul. He had made a true and honest choice, not entirely based upon survival.

"It was wrong," agreed Kratos, the only one not struck silent by Genis' words. "It was a hard decision, but you carry the burden of that decision upon yourself." Genis nodded slowly, and felt Raine tense. She was going to yell at the mercenary, tell him he was being too harsh. But Kratos continued before Raine had the chance.

"In admitting you were wrong…that you made a mistake…you have proven that you fully realize the consequences of your actions." Kratos paused then, as though debating with himself, and added, in a rare moment of emotion, "Of course we forgive you."

"Do you forgive us?" Raine asked quietly, letting go of Genis but keeping her hands on his shoulders. "We were wrong, too. All of us."

Genis felt like smiling. He really did, but he couldn't quite bring himself to it. A heaviness still weighed on his heart, but it had nothing to do with the answer to Raine's question.

"Of course I forgive you," he said softly. "I…I couldn't ever hold anything against you." _Any of you_, he added silently, though he knew they all heard the meaning in his words anyway.

"Well…good," Raine said. "If…if you feel up to it, we'll head back to Asgard today. We didn't want to go too far before, because of how badly injured you were."

"I'm fine," Genis half-whispered, shrugging a little. Raine smiled and nodded, and then turned her best scholarly gaze on Lloyd.

"Pack up and let's go," she said curtly.

"That's Professor Raine for you," Lloyd muttered to Colette, who had knelt to help him pack their camping items. "Always ready to visit some ancient ruin, but a whole _city_ built on them? She'll be saying things like 'marvelous' for weeks!" Colette giggled, and Lloyd grinned at her.

Packed and ready, the six of them started out in the direction that Lloyd promised was the correct one, this time, though he walked so far ahead of the rest of them it was hard to tell if he really knew. Colette was close behind him, seeming lost in either thought or dream.

Raine came next, mumbling to herself. Genis highly suspected it was about ruins, or archaeology, or her newest favorite, magitechnology. Well…it had been her newest favorite, about a month ago. There was no telling now.

Sheena brought up the rear, studying her spell cards with focused intensity. Tinted blue—to represent water, Genis guessed—the cards were arrayed in a fan shape. He hadn't had this thought for more than two seconds before the assassin began to fan herself with her spread weapons.

Which left Genis in the mildly uncomfortable position of walking next to, and slightly behind, Kratos. He recalled asking someone what he had Kratos had in common, that could separate them from the others, and he also recalled, with a touch of bitterness, not getting an answer. But maybe…he could ask now, in the waking world.

"Kratos?" he ventured. The mercenary was silent. For a long moment, Genis didn't even think the man had heard him.

"Yes?"

"Uh…is there…was there ever something you did…that you regretted?"

Kratos looked back at him with a dark frown. Genis paled, almost flinching under the glare, but he didn't try to amend his question.

"Many things," Kratos finally said, waving one hand in an attempt to disperse the answer. "Some more than others. Once…once I did something for which I cannot be forgiven."

Genis was silent. That couldn't be it, he decided. Lloyd had done something 'unforgivable' in Iselia, and Sheena certainly had acted like she was running from some act of past days. He was honestly startled when Kratos kept talking.

"I made a mistake I could not admit making, to myself…or to those with whom I was…close. You are able to admit your faults. That is…admirable."

_A compliment? I thought I was…only in the way?_ "I…thanks," Genis settled on, looking away, out over the horizon. "I guess I've missed a lot of what's going on, haven't I?"

"The Chosen is nearly finished with her Journey of Regeneration," Kratos supplied, fixing his gaze, too, on the distant mountains. "There appears to be one final seal before the Tower of Salvation."

"Wow. She's almost an angel now," Genis whispered, looking ahead of him to the smiling girl who now walked with Lloyd. "I wonder if she's still clumsy."

"Yes," Kratos said quickly, so quickly Genis almost missed it, and when the young mage looked at him, the mercenary had a hint of a smile on his face. Genis felt a smile within him, but he still couldn't bring himself to the action.

The remainder of the walk was decidedly silent. Genis got the feeling that Sheena and Lloyd were uncomfortable about being around him, and besides that, Colette and Lloyd were walking with one another. He wouldn't disrupt that, even if they were his closest—and only—friends.

Kratos had fallen silent again, as was his preference, and Genis sighed and quickened his pace, so he walked between Kratos and Raine, but with no one. He enjoyed and at the same time hated the chance to be alone. The part of him that still recalled an endless night of fear and confusion wanted to be with someone, anyone who might move his mind from the images. But another part of him, the greater part, simply wanted peace with himself.

* * *

The sun was just past noon as they entered Asgard. The people of the city recognized Raine and the others and welcomed them, and they treated Genis kindly. He had an almost overwhelming urge to tell the people everything, to tell them all the things he had done, to tell them to stop being so nice.

He didn't, though, partially because he was exhausted and partially because, despite wanting to, he really _didn't_ want to. All Genis really wanted to do was sleep. The six of them paid for rooms in the Cool Breeze Inn, and Genis immediately fell onto one of the two beds in his, noting absently its well-used softness.

"Hungry?" Lloyd asked, sticking his head in the doorway. "Colette made lunch, it's downstairs."

"No thanks, Lloyd. I'm just…not hungry," Genis said apologetically, and Lloyd shrugged to no one and turned to practically fly back down the stairs toward the food. "Some things never change," Genis remarked to the ceiling.

He stared upward silently for about another five seconds. Then he slept, but it was the deep and silent sleep of one who sleeps for more than the sake of it. At various times, someone would appear in the doorway and glance at the little mage, and then nod or shrug or smile and rejoin the others downstairs.

When Genis woke again, twilight drifted in through the open window. The night air smelled cool and refreshing, and succeeded in waking him up faster than he'd have been able to on his own. He rolled out of bed and stood quietly, but Raine's bed was empty.

Slowly, and almost hesitantly, he headed out of the room and down the stairs. A glance toward the inn's common room showed Lloyd, Colette and Sheena sitting around a table, playing some kind of game with her spell cards. Kratos stood against the far wall, arms crossed and head down. Raine was nowhere to be seen.

_It's a city of ruins_, his mind told him. _She'll be out there looking at it, not in here playing with Sheena's weapons._ So, as quietly as he had come down, Genis left the inn. He didn't know the layout of Asgard except what he'd seen on the way in, but he'd heard conversations from the Desians about the large stone ruin here, marked as an altar of the Summon Spirit of Wind.

Climbing the stairs that he was directed to by a man selling vegetables, he soon came to the giant stone slab, almost as tall as he was. Reaching up and grabbing the edge, he pulled himself onto the stone, staring down at the symbols carven on it for a moment before shifting his gaze to the woman sitting on the far side, her back to him, her legs over the far edge.

Hearing his climb, Raine looked back over her shoulder and smiled at Genis, motioning for him to sit with her. He did, as quietly as he could, and Raine turned her azure gaze back to the sky.

"When I was about your age," she said quietly, distantly, "I suddenly found myself alone, save for you, in a difficult situation. I had no one to turn to, and nothing to use to help either of us. And I had a dream, on one of those first nights. In it, I met a young boy who liked to look up at the stars.

"He told me about how he had gone to a village and pretended to be a full elf, so no one would suspect him. I thought it was a marvelous idea, and I started using it wherever we went. I was amazed at how well it worked out, in Iselia. We had…everything we wanted. You made friends, I started teaching.

"Genis…about a month ago, I thought I'd lost the only thing that really meant something to me. You're the only family I have…and to lose you would be unbearable. I…I don't care what you think you're guilty of or what crimes you think you've committed, Genis. None of them matter. Not to me, and not to the others.

"We're just glad you're home. With us. _Where you belong_."

_Where I…belong…_Genis looked up at his sister, at her tears, and realized he was shedding his own, and he smiled. Raine hugged him fiercely, and then let him go.

"Did Kratos really have a black eye?" he asked, and Raine grinned devilishly.

"It matched his clothes quite nicely, I should think." Genis laughed—how good it felt, laughter—and then sighed, feeling his inner self settle once again. He was now where he needed to be, had needed to be all along. He just hadn't known it.

Raine got up then, brushing imagined dust from her clothes. "Are you coming? You slept most of the day."

"I think I'm going to stay here for a bit," he said, looking up to the stars again. "I'm not tired just yet."

"Alright, but be back before it gets completely dark," Raine advised, and then jumped lightly off the slab and descended the stairs. Genis, left alone, looked up with wonder and new appreciation at the midnight-blue sky, sprinkled with silver stars.

"There are people who can't see this. They don't get to see sunlight or starlight or rain or snow. Someday…I'm going to free those people. _All_ of those people."

_'Is that a promise, Genis Sage?'_ Gasping, Genis stood and turned around. There in the center of the stone altar, hovering just a few inches above it, was the woman from his dreams. Soft golden wings extended from her back, and her eyes showed still the depths of the infinite.

"You…you're here? In the waking world? …Or am I asleep?"

_'No. I can, on occasion, appear in this world. If the occasion is…special enough.'_

"You're not the Summon Spirit of Wind, are you?"

_'Me? Goodness no! Sylph is embodied in three parts, not just one. I'm not the Sylph.'_

"Well then who are you? You've never told me."

_'Have you asked?'_ Before Genis could answer, her form seemed to solidify, and as her feet touched the stone, she walked toward him, speaking for the first time with a true voice. "I am Phia, Summon Spirit of Dreams. Tell me, Genis. Are your brave words a promise?"

"To free the people who can't…can't see things like this? …Yes. They are a promise."

Phia smiled and put a hand on Genis' shoulder. He blinked, and within that short span was back amidst the multitude of people with light at their core. He saw that he stood now between Raine and a formerly empty space. Looking up, he saw Kratos there, and almost smiled. But part of his mind seemed to be registering something that the rest of it swore wasn't there.

_'Go on, Genis,'_ said Phia in her silent voice, laughing again the sound of windchimes. _'Take your place among the spirits. You have earned it.'_

Smiling fully now, Genis closed his eyes and brought his hands together over his heart. He felt his feet rise from the ground and the air support him, and a light began to glow softly from beneath his hands. Within moments, he was as the rest of them, silent and golden.

Phia smiled, and the figure that appeared behind her was smiling as well.

**Is this how it was supposed to end?** he asked. Phia shook her head.

_'No, but the end is far from here. You will see. I promise.'_

000

Genis awoke in his bed at the Inn, sunlight streaming onto his face. Raine was already awake and busy packing, and he rose as quickly as he could, feeling full of more energy than he could possibly handle.

"Ready to go to Hima?" Raine asked. Genis had no idea what or where Hima was, but he nodded anyway. He would go anywhere they asked, he knew, as long as they would uphold his request. He waited until breakfast—Sheena had made omelets—when everyone was together. Here he presented his request.

"Show mercy to the Desians."

"What?" Lloyd asked. Colette dropped her fork, and Sheena frowned angrily.

"I mean it. Next time we encounter them…be kinder. They're…they're just like you are. I mean, they work for evil purposes, yeah, I know that. They killed Marble, and your mom Lloyd, and many other humans…but killing them back…it's wrong, this killing.

"Look…I know the Desians are evil, and they're half-elves. But…but they're half-human, too. That's important. It makes them like me…and like you. …Please."

Genis sighed, trailing off. He didn't know what else to say, to explain himself. He had said all he could offer.

The others all looked at one another, startled, and yet in their eyes was the seed of realization. "Okay," Lloyd said finally, and the rest of them nodded, with the exception of Kratos. Genis frowned at the mercenary—he was certain he had seen something, something amiss with the man in his dreams…but no. It was only a dream, after all.

Genis smiled, then, looking at them all. Things weren't the same as they had been before—he doubted they ever would be again. But he was back among allies, and better yet, among _friends_.

"Then let's go to Hima. Together."

* * *

Epilogue

* * *

The dragons dropped them in front of the Tower of Salvation. Together, Lloyd, Raine, Sheena and Genis climbed the stairs. The door was open, and Colette was already within, kneeling before what looked like another locked seal.

"It's finally over," Lloyd said, sounding weary and tired. "Colette's finally going to regenerate the world."

Genis looked at the angel girl kneeling before this final seal, and then out at the unfathomable dimensions of the inside of the Tower of Salvation. The world would be regenerated...and things would be at peace.

* * *

* * *

Well? Was it a fitting end? I sure hope so—it felt right, so I like it, of course. Now…I won't make any promises…but I'm going to attempt a sequel to this.

And with that…until next time!!

--Vilya


End file.
